The Minds Behind The Decision

Hiroshi Takane

CEO & Creative Director, Studio ONI Inc.

Hiroshi Takane is a Tokyo-based creative director, producer, copywriter and scriptwriter with over 20 years of experience in storytelling, advertising, and animation. As the founder of Studio ONI, he is known for blending Japanese traditional ink painting aesthetics with modern hand-drawn animation, creating a distinctive visual and narrative style. His work spans advertising and branded content for major clients including NHK, Canon Marketing Japan, LEXUS, SONY, DeNA, Wacoal, BABYMETAL, and Granblue Fantasy. He has also contributed to large-scale projects such as the immersive edutainment facility "Wonderia YOKOHAMA," where he led worldbuilding and narrative design. In addition, he served as Creative Director for an ink painting animation project linked to the NHK Taiga Drama "Toyotomi Brothers! (BROTHERS IN ARMS)." He has also written scripts for video games including Nintendo's Fire Emblem series.

Fumio Iida

Animator at Graphinica

Fumio Iida is a legendary figure in Japanese animation, with a career spanning over four decades. He served as Animation Director on landmark works such as Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and Roujin Z, and is widely known as the character designer of Yadamon under the name SUEZEN. His contributions extend across a wide range of iconic productions, including Macross: Do You Remember Love?, Gunbuster, Little Nemo, Evangelion: 2.0, Gurren Lagann, Yamato 2199, Sailor Moon Eternal, and Netflix's Record of Ragnarok. He has also been involved in international co-productions such as ThunderCats and Journey, and continues to contribute to both production and education, currently teaching animation and illustration at Kibi International University.

Tomoyuki Arima

Creative Director, Arima Design Institute at Nippon Design Center (NDC)

Tomoyuki Arima is a visionary art director and visual designer leading the Arima Design Institute within the prestigious Nippon Design Center. He is renowned for his "World-Building" approach, constructing the visual languages and functional interfaces that define the emotional core of complex narrative worlds. His groundbreaking work in diegetic design, integrating UI and graphics as living parts of the story, has set new global standards in the anime and gaming industries. His portfolio includes internationally recognized titles such as Fate/Grand Order, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, and Aldnoah.Zero. Championing "Stock-type Design," he creates visual systems built to retain cultural relevance for decades. Alongside his creative practice, Arima teaches at Musashino Art University and ZEN University, shaping the next generation of designers.

Kofi Bazzell-Smith

Artist, Educator & First Professor of Manga Practice, USA

Kofi Bazzell-Smith is a US-based manga artist and educator who teaches Japanese-style manga at the university level. He represents a unique bridge between authentic Japanese manga expression and global creative education. He is the first professor of manga practice in the United States. His creative work spans manga, immersive exhibition, and multimedia storytelling. He serves on the board of the US-Japan Bridging Foundation, a scholarship organization supporting American students studying abroad in Japan. He is a 2025-26 delegate of the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program, a binational fellowship for emerging leaders across government, business, and the arts.

He's currently developing new programs in Japan to help U.S. students learn manga and Japanese language through immersive cultural exchange. His work is rooted in building bridges across art, language, and education. Outside of the classroom and studio, he's been boxing for 16 years and turned professional in 2021.

LĒ Yamamura

Creature Designer & Illustrator

LĒ Yamamura is one of the most outstanding and in-demand creature designers and illustrators in Japan today. With a strong foundation in anatomy, she creates highly original creatures that seamlessly blend realism and fantasy. Her signature work includes the Netflix animated series "Leviathan," where she served as the creature designer and was responsible for designing all creatures featured in the production, demonstrating her exceptional ability to build entire ecosystems through design.

Her portfolio includes contributions to a wide range of internationally recognized titles across games, film, and global publishing. These include major projects such as Square Enix's "Lord of Vermilion IV," the globally popular mobile game "Puzzle & Dragons," and "FANTASIAN" by Mistwalker, as well as "Magic: The Gathering" and "Metaphor: ReFantazio." She has also contributed to high-profile animation and film-related projects, including the animated film "Belle" produced by Studio Chizu, as well as global publishing projects such as the internationally known "Wings of Fire" series.

In addition, she has collaborated with major international companies including miHoYo, further demonstrating her strong global presence and cross-cultural relevance. In addition, she is a lecturer at Kyoto University of the Arts, further establishing her as both a leading artist and an educator.

Tehzeeb Khurana

Animation Director, Educator & Founder - Toon Club

Tehzeeb Khurana is an animation director, educationist, and cultural curator with over two decades of experience in animation filmmaking, visual storytelling, and creative education. She is the founder of Toon Club, an internationally recognized initiative dedicated to teaching animation filmmaking and storytelling to children and young adults aged 7 - 18.

Jazyl Homavazir

2D Animation Professional

The Indian anime-style art scene has been headlined by Mumbai-based 2D animator Jazyl Homavazir for over 13 years. He is also the creator of India's first and longest ongoing webmanga, The Beast Legion. His notable artworks include a series of works where he pairs up anime characters with Indian Gods who share similar traits, as well as other crossover artworks that leave people wanting more.

Nina Sabnani

Indian Filmmaker & Festival Director - AniMela

Nina Sabnani is an Indian animation filmmaker, illustrator and an educator. She is known for her films which blend together animation and ethnography. Collaboration with diverse ethnic communities as well as storytelling with words and imagery have been her research interests.

Anil NM Wanvari

Founder & Chairman - Animation Xpress

Anil NM Wanvari is the Founder & Chairman of Animation Xpress and Editor-in-Chief of India's leading media platforms covering the Animation, VFX, Gaming, and Comics ecosystem. With over four decades of industry observation and engagement, he has been a key voice documenting and shaping India's AVGC landscape.

Shambhoo Phalke

Consultant Business Strategy & Development - Livepixel Technologies

Shambhoo Phalke has contributed to 6 theatrical animation films and over 20,000 minutes of TV animation, bringing decades of industry experience. He attributes his journey to the guidance of mentors and the support of his parents who shaped his path.